Spring Hill and Surrounding Districts Consultative Committee member Sally Playfair said two properties opposite the terminal had been settled in the past week, bounded by Gander Road, Aerodrome Road and Forest Road, and rumours had circulated about residents being approached to sell their land.

She believed buying up land before the Department of Planning had approved the rezoning of 318 hectares into a mix of industrial and business land was a risky move.

“It’s prime agricultural land with good reliable rainfall and very cost efficient - if it becomes a white elephant, what are they going to do then?” she said.

“As a ratepayer I would ask, why are they spending money being property developers?”

The rezoning proposal has been removed from the planning department’s website until council can provide assessments on economic, environmental and traffic impacts - the first stage of the redevelopment would affect 110 hectares.

Orange City Council corporate and community relations manager Nick Redmond said acquiring land around the airport as it became available was a long-established practice.

“Because of issues such as noise complaints, having a residential area too close could interfere with the long-term efficiency of the airport,” he said.

However, he said the purchase of the two 40-hectare properties could allow for future business operations.

“Some of this land has been used to accommodate the new longer runway and changes to roads,” he said.

“Operating a business park may be another use of such land, which wouldn’t conflict with the operation of an airport.”

Mr Redmond said council had put the airport business park proposal forward to meet growing demand for industrial land and create jobs.

A total of $21.1 million has been set aside in the council budget for future land development across Orange in the next four years, $9.98 million of it this financial year.

danielle.cetinski@fairfaxmedia.com.au